Runa Khan's brush with death

“Initially I managed to get out of the cottage. When the next tremor occurred, I was thrown off-guard and fell off the cliff. I broke my arm and ankle. Somehow my team managed to rescue me. They were unharmed because I was the only person who was inside the cottage.”

“Then we returned for Kathmandu in that condition. The one-hour journey took us five hours. The roads were broken, houses had collapsed; everything was torn and tattered. When we reached the capital I was immediately taken to the hospital. There was nothing left in the city. It seemed that the beautiful place had lost its life. The hospitals were flooded with doctors, nurses and people.”

“The city lights had gone off. Everything was closed. There were no food shops open. We were all hungry, thirsty and standing outside in the cold. We couldn't return to our hotel because it was almost destroyed. The government had given a red alert in the city for citizens and tourists to stay out of their homes and hotels. The worst part came at nightfall; it rained incessantly and the temperature plunged. With the combination of lights out and cold, there was a fear of death. It was a sleepless night for all of us. The tremors were continuously going on. And we had nothing but to pray to the Almighty to save our life.”

“I don't know how I stayed out in the cold with pain in my arm and ankle. I was thankful to the Bangladesh High Commission because we could later take shelter there. We couldn't even return to our country immediately as the airport was closed.”

“I thought it was the end for all of us. The death toll was increasing and the tremors showed no mercy, and kept on showing their rage. The last call that I made was to my sister, (as I couldn't reach my husband), from there and told her to take care of my five year-old daughter.”